Soon after our California departure, the view from the backseat was blank. Literally nothing to see. But then some snow capped mountains appeared bigger and bigger in the windshield, despite the 70 degree temperature. It was so out of place in the desert, it almost looked like a movie set, so my dad decided toContinue reading “Tales from the Backseat: Viva Reno “
Category Archives: short stories
A Whole New World
Caroline sat in front of her picture window with a steaming cup of coffee gazing out in the glowing amber ball of the morning sun rising as if it were ascending for the first time. The last eight hours much like the prior two months and even past 30 years had been a nightmare. PrisonedContinue reading “A Whole New World”
Brace For Impact
In southwest Florida bridges are an unfortunate bain of existence. With a myriad of waterways monikered with a variety of names like bays, gulfs, oceans, channels, canals and lakes, the boats which traverse these often conflict with the roads, motorists and straight lines, thus resulting in what I like to call scary bridges. And inContinue reading “Brace For Impact”
Different Eyes
Shopping at garage sales is my jam. I’m a handy crafter and relish making old things into new things. Somehow, I don’t see them as they are, but as what they can be. Where someone would see an ugly old octagonal 70s end table with orange felt on the sides and a broken door, IContinue reading “Different Eyes”
Family Gobble
Thanksgiving is a holiday I dread. It just seems to be a hotbed of dysfunction and a recipe for disaster. Like Uncle Burt asking people to pull his finger in between inappropriate off color and mostly unfunny jokes. As a kid, I giggled and reveled in the somewhat forbidden nature. But now it’s just aContinue reading “Family Gobble”
A Christmas Quest for Power
Parents want to give everything to their kids and deny them nothing. Before I had children, though, I remember watching with confusion and slight disdain the news coverage of otherwise normal parents turning into mob rioters just to score a Cabbage Patch Kid for their children’s Christmas present. I couldn’t believe people could put suchContinue reading “A Christmas Quest for Power”
Ghost Light
Stepping onto the darken stage, I feel the wood boards under my feet. The seeping glow of the single bulb ghost light provides very little light, but somehow I see everything clearly. There’s the full audience enthralled with every note and spoken word. Over there are the actors dancing on the stage in perfect rhythmContinue reading “Ghost Light”
Fun, Fame and Family Secrets – Episode 2 Tales from the Backseat
Traveling in 1970 something was quite different than in 2020 something. Without the all-powerful and knowing internet, planning a trip meant visiting the library to look up travel books or arranging everything through an expensive travel agent. Hours in a library for a busy mother of three was not an option and travel agents wereContinue reading “Fun, Fame and Family Secrets – Episode 2 Tales from the Backseat”
The Gamble
It was as if they were statues all standing still… no one talking or laughing, just holding up their cards and sizing each other up. It was the tensest poker game of her life. Inside she was sweating bullets. For most of the game, luck was not her lady and the cards favored others. StaringContinue reading “The Gamble”
I Left A Lot in San Francisco: Tales from the Backseat Episode 7
The difference between being a preteen and a child on a family vacation is like the comparing Mount Everest to the dirt hill kids jump their bikes over. It’s a continental divide. During my preteen years, I wanted to be cool and strived to seem grown-up. And I definitely did not want to act likeContinue reading “I Left A Lot in San Francisco: Tales from the Backseat Episode 7”
SUZANNE RUDD HAMILTON 